Chapter 18: Dragon Killer

"Yes, Bo, I'm SURE I can't fly us out." Nina sighed, exasperated. "For the third time. I'm not a hummingbird; I can't fly straight up. Mogu, do you-"

"For the third time here as well, no." Mogu looked irritated, something that almost never happened. "These floor tiles are too large, and they fit too closely. Can't pry them out to get to the dirt. If I was coming up from below, I could push it out of the way, sure, but not like this."

"So there is no way out." Deis growled. "Perfect. Figures those jerks were full of it." They had been trapped in the pit for several hours now, and everybody was starting to get angry... except for Ryu, who remained silent and emotionless. None of them had tried forcing him into action; none of them dared. Gobi grimaced and flopped down on a tile.

"Guess we couldn't do it after-WHOA!" He scrambled to his feet. "My tile moved!" Everybody watched as the tile he had been sitting on slowly shifted, lifted and moved aside. In its place was the head of an ancient Mole Clanner, with bushy white eyebrows and a mustache.

"Elder Dugron!" Mogu yelped in disbelief. The old Mole Clanner nodded at him.

"Mogu, my boy! I had heard you were with these folks. Come on, we're all getting out of here!" He disappeared back into the ground, leaving the hole open behind him.

"Isn't that the old guy we saw in your dream world?" Ox inquired. Mogu nodded.

"Yeah... Elder Dugron's the chief of our Clan. He was a slave in Scande, like almost everybody else... if we follow him, we'll find the rest of my Clan."

"And he said they're blowing this ice cube stand... good enough for me!" Karn grinned as they all moved towards the hole... all except Ryu. "Hey... boss, you coming?" No response. "Boss, we... we should go." Ryu remained silent.

"Ryu, please." Nina attempted. "I'm sorry. I know this... this is unimaginable. Impossible. But we need to get out of here... we have to, or we'll never be able to do anything about... that." Ryu gazed at her dully, then rose to his feet. Still silent, he followed the Wing Clan Princess down through the hole. The others followed. The tunnel was long and winding; eventually, they emerged in an underground cavern. Several hundred Mole Clanners were lounging around. Elder Dugron walked up to them almost immediately.

"Right, here you are. We'll lie low for just a few more minutes, and then we're going back to the slave site."

"You're joking!" Karn yelped. "Why are you going there? Won't you get caught again?"

"Not according to the one who freed us..." The Elder shook his head. "The one in the grey robes."

"Grey robes?" Ryu's head shot up. "What happened? Tell me!"

"This... person in grey robes came to our cells a few nights ago." Elder Dugron explained. "He... she... it released us and took us to a dirt area we could dig a hiding place in. Then... it told us that in a couple more days, Scande... would be deserted, that all the soldiers would leave it... flee. That we could escape when that happened. And it... was right. There are barely any soldiers left, and more are running every hour. Just a couple more, and we think we'll be able to successfully make a break for it."

"She... did that?" Ryu whispered to himself. "Why... but..." He sank down again, once more lost in his thoughts.

"Who knows anymore?" Bo sighed. "Who knows anything anymore?" The Elder shrugged, not really understanding.

"Who knows? But she was right, whoever she was. Come on... we're out of here." The Mole Clanners led the heroes through another tunnel to what was obviously an excavation site; discarded tools of various kinds were lying around everywhere. A door from there led outside to Scande. The heroes were a bit nervous about walking into the open at first, but they soon realized Elder Dugron was right. Scande, once the capital of the Dark Dragon Empire, had become a city of ghosts, abandoned and lifeless. For the most part; as they walked up into the fifth level, a lone soldier walked out from around a corner and stared at Ryu.

"Sir Ray? Is that you? What's up with your hair, sir? And are those the escaped slaves with you? What... something's up, isn't it, sir?" Ryu slowly looked at him. It was Johnny, the entrance guard they had met upon first entering the city. The others started to draw their weapons, but the Light Dragon waved them down.

"Johnny... why are you still here?" He asked, exhausted. Johnny shrugged.

"I'm wondering where everybody went. Me and my friends woke up, and we're alone here. You know what's going on, Sir Ray?"

"...Yeah." Ryu forced himself to nod. "Johnny... get out of here. Lo... Jade and his... the remaining Tiamat Unit... they're going to wake up Myria."

"Really?" Johnny's face fell. "Huh... well, I suppose it was gonna happen eventually. But... you know, me and some of the boys... we're not too sure it's the right thing to do. You know what I'm saying, right? Emperor Zog goes on and all that, but about all that stuff about the Dragon War... I dunno, Sir Ray."

"You're absolutely right, Johnny." Ryu nodded. "Zog is... WAS wrong. He's dead now, you know... Ryu the Light Dragon killed him. Jade's going to bring back the Goddess for reasons of his own... and I doubt those reasons will be in the best interests of his troops. Think about it, Johnny... what would be the first thing Myria would do, given free rein?" Johnny had gone white at the news of Zog's death, but now he looked thoughtful.

"I don't know... probably bring her fortress back up. That's Obelisk, you know, and it's-" His jaw dropped as it hit him. "Aw, LADON!"

"That's right. Right here." Ryu confirmed. "Get all your friends, Johnny... and anybody else still here... and get far, far away. That's what we're doing." Johnny nodded fervently.

"You don't have to tell me twice, Sir!" He started to go, then turned and stared at Ryu, as if suddenly seeing something he had been missing the entire time. He started to talk, then turned and ran.

"Boss..." Bo started, then stopped. Ryu chuckled humorlessly.

"I know... saving Dark Dragon lives? What's gotten into me, huh?" He shook his head. "People change... that much is true, all right. And... I can't exactly preach that Light Dragons are good and Dark Dragons are evil any more. Not after... that." He fell silent once more as they left town.

"So, where to now?" Gobi asked Elder Dugron.

"Back home, of course." The Mole Clan Elder explained. "We're returning to Gramor. What about you folks?" Bo glanced at Ryu, who said nothing, then shrugged.

"We're beat... we'll probably sack out at Carmen for now. After that... who knows." Elder Dugron nodded, choosing not to pursue the subject.

"Mogu... you're staying with them, right?" Mogu nodded. "Good. Help your friends out, you hear? We're all rooting for you, wherever you go." He shook Mogu's huge claw with his own ancient, leathered appendage, then turned and led his people off as Nina shifted and changed form. A moment later, everybody was gone as the last denizens of Scande began trickling out like so many ants fleeing a collapsed hill.

"Has he come out of his room yet?" Gobi asked. Bo shook his head.

"Not once." It had been a day since they had left Scande and returned to the inn in Carmen. Ever since they had arrived, Ryu hadn't emerged from his room. None of them had dared enter.

"He's just like he was when you disappeared, Nina." Mogu shook his head. "Except this time, there's nothing even he can do about this." Nina growled and pounded a table for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Why? I just keep running that question through my head. She's his older sister, for Ladon's sake, and from everything he's told me about his youth, she was practically a saint with him. What could have made her turn around that much?"

"Who knows?" Karn shrugged glumly. "Probably whatever Jade used to recruit the others. We've seen enough to figure out that he didn't definately didn't use any orthodox methods... Cort, Mote and Cerl all underwent severe personality changes around or shortly after the time of the Unit being formed. Most likely, Goda did too. The Gold Lord's been pulling strings for more than ten years. Here we all figured Zog was the one to watch out for, and he was just another dummy to draw our aim."

"And right now, they're running off to Agua to raise Myria." Deis growled. "We're not completely screwed... that teleportation spell isn't perfect. The farther away you have to go, the more it tires you out, and Agua's almost as far away from Scande as you can get. Plus, there's the matter of the force field... from Sara's little display back in the pit, she might be able to break it, but it'll take a while. Still... we can't stay here for much longer. If we want to catch them, we're going to need to leave soon."

"Easier said than done." Ox sighed. "We can't go without the boss, and if anybody has any ideas on how to get him out here, I'd like to hear them." Bo and Deis exchanged a glance.

"I think... there's only one way." Bo said cautiously. "Nina. You're our only hope." The Wing Clan Princess shook her head.

"I'm glad you have such faith in me, but I can't do anything. You saw... I was barely able to get him to move."

"So try harder." Deis told her impatiently. "You're the closest one to him... we're all friends, but we're not on the same level as Sara was. You're the only one of us who he cares for on THAT scale."

"Not quite." Nina denied. "I'm not... it's not that close. We're just... friends too. You know that." She closed her eyes. "He... got this way when I disappeared. I know. But... he knows this just like I do. The law... I'm the princess. He can't care for me more than a friend... and I can't do the same for him. We both know this. I can't do anything for him now, guys... I can't bring him out of this." Deis' eyes narrowed, and she glanced at Bo.

"Could you guys all go look and see how the rest of the town's doing? Make completely sure that they're recovered from the time freeze, check if there are many soldiers from Scande coming this way, that sort of thing?" Bo immediately took the hint.

"Yeah. Come on, guys." The males all went outside, leaving Deis and Nina alone.

"All right." The Sorceress of Wisdon snapped. "As I've said before, we're on a tight time limit here, so I'm going to be blunt and direct. You're behaving like an idiot." Nina's head shot up.

"Excuse me? And what do you mean by that?"

"You know exactly what I mean." Deis pressed. "Ryu's completely sunk into his misery, and you're acting like it's catching. You talk so much about knowing things and laws, like they're what really decide feelings... so much, you've forgotten about what happened at Tunlan when you rejoined us, haven't you?" Nina froze.

"Tunlan... I... but..."

"Yeah, I know." Deis made a rude noise. "Laws say you can't, rules say you can't. But the one thing you're NOT knowing... is that laws and facts don't mean a damn thing when it comes right down to it. You care about him. He cares about you. And you're NOT just friends. Bo knows this, I know this, we all know this. We saw it between you two as clear as day. Even when you two were having that spat, we knew it wouldn't last. You can worry about laws and rules all you want, but that won't change the pure truth."

"Pure truth...?" Nina asked, still a little behind. Deis nodded.

"He's in love with you, Nina." She said simply. "Despite everything you both 'know.' If you'd really pay attention, you could see it in his every action... the way he smiles at you, the way he always watches out for you in a fight, the way he always worries when you're in the way of trouble. Face the REAL facts; why do you REALLY think he only listened to you when you asked him to leave Scande with us? None of us would have been able to even make him move, no matter how hard we tried. Why do you think he was so broken down when you were lost? That's why. He loves you, plain and simple... and you love him too, don't you?" The last pieces of Nina's resistance crumbled.

"...Yes." She shook her head, silently crying. "Ladon help me... I love him. But... what do I do? What CAN I do?"

"You can go up there." Deis told her. "Right now, the man you're in love with is sitting alone, thinking of nothing but how he was betrayed by the person he had trusted the most throughout his entire life, long before he even met any of us. You can help him. Go up there... talk to him... listen to him. Let him know... you're going to help him. You can figure out all that stuff about laws and rules and your future another time, when you're both ready. Right now, though, the world needs Ryu... and Ryu needs you, Nina. Go to him."

"...Yes." Nina stood up and dried her eyes. "I will. Deis... thank you. For both of us." Turning, she walked up the stairs to Ryu's room. Slowly, she eased his door open. The Light Dragon was sitting in a chair facing the window, face completely blank.

"Nina." He said without turning around. "Can... I help you with something?"

"No... it's the other way around." Nina whispered. "Ryu, I'm... I'm here to... talk. And to listen. And... whatever else you need. I'm here, Ryu."

"I... Nina." Ryu shook his head. "You don't want to... it's not your problem. It's not your issue... not your... your sister who's done all this..."

"Ryu, your problems ARE my problems." Nina sat in a chair next to him. "Your issues... my issues. Anything... any time. I'll always be here, Ryu... always. Just... let me help."

"It..." Ryu tried to argue for a moment more, then gave in. "Nina, she... she was so different. She was my sister, and yet... her face, her voice were all different... somebody evil, somebody twisted... somebody from the Tiamat Unit. But it was still her, still Sara at the same time. How am I... why am I supposed to fight that? Fight... even kill my own sister? How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

"She..." Nina scrambled for an answer. "I don't know, Ryu. But there's... look, there's no absolute answer. All the Tiamat Unit... returned to their old selves at the end, at least partially. And remember what you told me about Cerl? Miracles happen. Maybe... maybe we can still save her, Ryu." Ryu turned his head to stare at her incredulously.

"What happened to Cerl... Nina, do you really think... we might be able to?"

"Anything is possible." The Wing Clan Princess nodded. "She hasn't been a member of the Tiamat Unit for nearly as long as the others, after all. We've built our careers out of succeeding where nobody else could even come close. But if we stay here, Ryu... we'll never know. Deis thinks they can't have released Myria yet, but she says soon... and if they do, Ryu, that'll be the end for us. And for the world. We have to catch them... before that happens. We have to try."

"...Yeah." Ryu stood up. "We... gotta try. Anything... is possible." He turned to her. "Are the others all ready to go?" She nodded. "All right, then. And Nina... I've said this before, but... thank you." He turned and kissed her, and then he went outside. After a moment, Nina followed him.

"Right here..." Goda pointed at a place on the wall, then drew back his fist and delivered a battering-ram blow. The ancient stone collapsed explosively, revealing the staircase behind it. Jade nodded approvingly.

"Good, Black. We COULD find our way through this place like THEY did... but what would be the point? Waste of time... and the lower levels are unimportant." The three remaining member of the Tiamat Unit walked up the staircase to where Ryu, Nina and Bo had stopped at, where the King Key had been hidden. For them, a thick metal door had halted their progress. For Goda, however, it was just another obstruction to break down. Sara winced as the door went flying off its hinges and out of Agua, past the narrow ledge on the outside and off into the sky, down to earth.

"That's fairly noticable."

"And what we plan to do later today won't be?" Jade retorted as they walked around the outside of Agua. "So a few people near here might have an advance warning about what's going to happen. Give them more time to duck and cover. It's not like they can do anything... we all know who the only ones who can are." Goda growled low in his throat as they reentered and climbed the long, straight staircase that took them to the roof of the floating monolith. All three looked around, silently taking in what awaited them up there. Jade was the first to speak; he laughed.

"Just like we saw it, all those years ago... not so long ago for you, Silver."

"Yeah..." Sara brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Ah... do you have any idea what a relief it is not to have to wear that damned hood all the time anymore?"

"Mote always liked the style..." Goda rumbled. Sara nodded in agreement.

"Of course... he was the one who suggested it to me, remember? And it did the job... I'm just saying it was annoying for me. But nobody in Scande aside from us and Zog had the slightest idea that I was a Light Dragon... and none of Ryu's group knew me eithr Mote had the right idea."

"He usually did..." Goda sighed as the three of them entered the core, the topmost portion of Agua. The true secret. Ahead of them were two more of the monolith slabs that worked with the Goddess Keys. To the far left and right were staircases that went up to the second floor, each one to a room with two more slabs. The last staircase, in the back, would hold the seventh. This... was the true purpose of the Goddess Keys. The lock on the cage that imprisoned the Goddess Myria.

"Seven locks... seven Keys..." Jade sighed. "Three of us remaining. My greatest wish is that the others could see the entirety of it... and of course, by the time we can have our wishes granted, that one'll be past. Ladon's irony."

"You still have... the articles?" Goda inquired of Sara, who nodded and bent over on the floor.

"Yes. They're all here." Pulling them out of her sleeves, she placed them on the floor, one by one and side by side. A monocle of shining ruby... a purple scrap of cloth that had once been a concealing hood... a proud white cape, still lightly twitching in a breeze... and the cold metal crown of an Emperor. "Which shall we do first, my Gold Lord?"

"Hm..." Jade thought about it. "We'll probably want to have one of us who are still here to go first... get things off right."

"I'll volunteer." Goda rumbled. "I'll go first."

"All right..." Jade nodded. "Then we'll do one of the others... not Red, you'll need some time to recover after that before helping with your life force." Goda didn't argue.

"Let it be Blue." Sara nodded. "I'll use my life force to help him."

"All right, then our Emperor after him." Jade decided. "I'll use my own life force for him... then will you be able to take your own Key, Silver?"

"I'll manage." Sara promised.

"Good. Then you can have Red turn his, Black... then White. That one'll probably be the hardest, due to her... unique situation. We'll all have to chip in there. And then I'll turn the last one myself."

"Sounds like a plan." Goda agreed. "Give me the Key, then... and I'll start." Wordlessly, Sara reached into her sleeves again and pulled out the seven Goddess Keys. Taking the Earth Key, Goda turned and walked up the staircase on the left, with the other two following him. Choosing the monolith on the right in the small room, the Black Warrior took a moment to steady himself, then thrust the Earth Key home. It was like he had been plugged into a massive wall socket; Goda was immediately lit up with an unimaginable locus of intense energy. Gritting his teeth, he slowly began moving his wrist, not releasing the Key. Despite Goda's insane strength, he was only able to budge the Key less than a centimeter in one movement. After what seemed like an eternity, the Key clicked into place, and the energy rush vanished. As the monolith began glowing and pulsing, Goda slumped to the ground, breathing heavily.

"It's... even worse than I... saw..."

"That bad, eh?" Sara asked, concerned. Goda, bald head covered in sweat, shot her a smile that was a rarity these days.

"Remember what you said once about how the aftereffect from a newly-learned dragon transformation? I think I just found out what that feels like."

"Great..." Sara shook her head. "If that's the case, this might take longer than we thought..."

"No..." Goda struggled to his feet. "We're... not ordinary people. Few minutes... and I'll recover enough for Red."

"That's the spirit." Jade congratulated him. "Come on Silver, you and Blue are up." Descending the stairs, they picked up the Dark Key and Cort's monocle, then entered the other second-floor room. This time, Sara chose the monolith on the left.

"You ready?" Jade asked, and she shrugged.

"As ready as I'll ever be..." As Goda watched, the two of them laid the monocle and Key on the floor, and took up positions on either side of them. Closing their eyes, they began concentrating their combined magical power on the small disk of red crystal. Slowly, above it, a blue haze formed... a haze that solidified into an intangible, nearly transparent shape. A spirit. Cort, the Blue Alchemist, smiled at them with the same strange, cold humor he had possessed in life.

"Turn the Key, Blue." Jade told him. "Turn the Key... as your last duty to your Unit. We have called you back to fulfill your sworn task. Turn the Dark Key... and we'll let you go again." Cort nodded, bending over. Somehow picking up the Dark Key, he looked at it for a moment, then shrugged and inserted it into the monolith. Sara flinched as he slowly turned it. Once it had clicked, the Blue Alchemist waved and vanished. Sara slumped to the floor.

"Ladon and Myria..." She cursed. "Yeah... that's the feeling, all right. Thought I'd never get it again... more's the pity." Slowly, she stood again. "All... right. Next one." Returning downstairs, they placed the King Key and the crown in front of the leftmost slab. Again Jade and Sara cast the spell, and again a spirit appeared. Emperor Zog glared at Jade, who spoke anyways.

"I realize you are angry with me, my Emperor... but now, you must know that what we did was neccessary. Myria is close... we need you one more time, old friend. Turn the King Key, as is your right, my Emperor... and then we shall let you rest again." Zog scowled for a moment more, then turned and roughly jammed the King Key into the socket. Jade flinched as he turned it, then disappeared.

"THAT's a feeling I haven't had in ten years." Jade winced. "Honestly, I could have done without experiencing it again."

"Be glad you don't have to do another one already." Sara groaned, picking up the Queen Key. Inserting it in the monolith on the right, she screamed silently as the rush of power filled her, causing her to contort like a live wire. Slowly, the Key turned, and then she was free again, sobbing for breath.

"Red's turn..." Goda realized. "You... okay, Silver?"

"Once the floor stops moving, I will be." Sara answered. "It helps that I think about not actually having to contribute any force to the next one." After a few more moments, they took the hood and Sky Key up to the left staircase, left monolith. This time, Goda entered the ritual with the other two. Mote shimmered and appeared.

"Little brother..." Goda croaked. Mote nodded sadly. Without even being bidden, he took up the Sky Key and turned it, then vanished. Goda hit the floor hard. "Ladon... why..."

"White next..." Jade sighed. "This one'll be loads of fun."

"Me and Black'll give every scrap we have without killing ourselves." Silver promised. "You need to save all your strength for the Time Key."

"I'm still not happy about that." Goda complained as they switched sides again. "The Time Key should be White's... everything she did for it... even against ME, when I lost my head..."

"To be honest, I agree with you." Sara sighed. "But who are we to argue with visions of destiny? Light Key for White it is." Gathering around the monolith, Key and cape, they concentrated. This time, the spirit appeared much more slowly, as they each growled and cursed from the exertion. When it was fully formed, it was the adult White Assassin as they had all known her, not the little girl she had become... although in all their ears, dimly, they could barely hear a noise like a small child screaming in pain. Cerl gazed at them all without emotion, then turned the Light Key before vanishing as slowly as she had come. As soon as she was gone, the three of them collapsed on the floor together.

"Ugh... one left..." Jade was the first to rise. "Can... you two stand?"

"Barely..." Silver gasped.

"Good. Silver, watch the entrance... our guests may be arriving any moment now. Black, you're with me... I may need you to keep me from falling over halfway." Jade smirked. "We're at the end of it now, after all... no good ruining it at this point. One Key left... and the Goddess Myria returns. Let's go."

"There's Agua, up ahead!" Ryu yelled as the heroes flew towards the floating edifice at top speed.

"It's colossal..." Gobi, who like half of them had never seen it before, gasped. "How much magic does it take to keep that up..."

"I don't even want to know, and I only dabble in magic." Bo shook his head. "To think... Myria was sealed up there the entire time..."

"No, that's not where she's sealed." Deis shook her head. "All that's there is... well, to oversimplify it, Agua's the lock on her prison. The cage itself is the island of Pagoda, straight north... you can see it from here."

"That one with the two towers sticking out of it side by side?" Karn shaded his eyes. "One higher than the other?" The Sorceress of Wisdon nodded.

"That's the prison of the Goddess Myria... and the only way in is through the top of Agua."

"Wasn't there some sort of force field?" Ox asked. Ryu nodded and cursed.

"Yeah... damn! If it's down, they must already be inside! We've got to move, FAST!"

"Hey... Nina?" Mogu asked, sounding nervous. "Why... aren't we landing?" Nina didn't answer; her beak was incapable of speech at the moment. She continued flying forward... straight for Agua. Bo slammed his eyes shut.

"Oh, NOOOOOO!" Scarcely feet away from the gaping entrance, Nina reverted to her normal form, and their momentum carried the heroes forward and inside... and straight into a wall. After a moment, Gobi extricated himself, spitting out some gravel.

"Nina, what the HELL?" He demanded. Nina shook her wings off and shrugged.

"Well, Ryu said we had to get going fast..."

"There are some things you just DON'T DO, no matter WHAT the circumstances, Nina." Bo told her with a horrified expression still frozen on his face. "Don't ever, EVER even THINK of doing that. Ever again."

"Gotta admit, it was the best damned rush I've ever felt." Karn laughed, irrepressable as always. "Come on! Let's move! Lead the way, boss!" Ryu nodded, turned... then stopped.

"Wait. One thing first. Guys..." He turned back around, eyes shining. "We've... come a long way together. Done a hell of a lot, and let's face it... pissed off and blown up a lot of people. That's our job... it's what we do. Now, we're going to have finish what I set out to do from the beginning. We can't fail, not after coming this far. We have to stop Myria from being revived, guys... and that means we have to stop anybody who's trying to bring her back. ANYBODY, if we have to. Am I understood?"

"Boss..." Ox whispered. "Are you saying..."

"I'm saying we can't take personal feelings into account here." Ryu continued. "The entire damn world is on our backs now. We have to keep it up... no matter what we have to do. Is that clear, guys?" Everybody was silent for a moment, and then Bo spoke.

"Yeah, it's clear, boss... so, are we going to let those guys get even more of a head start, or are we going to move?" Ryu grinned mirthlessly.

"Let's motor!" Running up the stairs, they soon discovered visible proof of the Tiamat Unit's passage; all walls between them and the stairs to the next floor had been simply bashed down.

"Goda's handiwork." Ox judged. "Just hope he doesn't bring the whole place down on us..." They quickly rose to the fifth floor, where Wisp had guarded the King Key. Before, a locked door there had forced them to turn back. Now, it was bashed down like the walls. Beyond it was a natural balcony; a grass-covered ledge on the OUTSIDE of the flying edifice. As they cautiously walked out, Bo and Mogu groaned, but said nothing of the ground miles below them. From there, it was back indoors for the next staircase; a long, but straight one they could see sunlight shining from the top of. Running up as fast as they could manage, single file, the heroes piled out onto the top of Agua. It was like the Dragon Shrines must have been in their days of glory. A perfectly flat ring of grassy land surrounded a lake that was undoubtably Water of Life, also perfectly round. In the center of this lake was a thin, cross-shaped structure of black stone. On the south end were the stairs they had come from; west and east, a pair of marble dragon statues stood silent guard for eternity, their jeweled eyes glittering. The eyes of one were emeralds, the other amethysts; green and purple. And at the north end was a structure much like the mighty third Dragon Shrine, with one key difference. This shrine was untouched by age; the spires still loomed, the structure was sturdy and the white marble gleamed in the sunlight. Unfortunately, the heroes had no time to take in the beauty of this; they rushed forward and into the Shrine.

Sara was waiting for him.

"Too late, Ryu." The Silver Priestess smiled sweetly. "Glad you showed up, little brother, but you took too long. Six of the Goddess Keys have already been turned, and at this moment, Lord Jade himself is attending to the seventh."

"But how?" Deis gasped. "Seven Keys, seven people... you, him and Goda... who turned the other four Keys?"

"You have to ask?" Sara raised an eyebrow. "I think it should be obvious. Blue, Red and White... or, to you, Cort, Mote and Cerl. And of course our beloved and mighty Emperor Zog." Nina started to protest, and then her eyes narrowed.

"...So that's it... that's why you were playing the undertaker."

"You lost me on that one." Gobi admitted.

"Magic... something she and Jade did." Nina growled. "The bodies... they summoned the souls back into them for a brief period, so they could turn the Keys."

"Ooh... close. We actually didn't even think of using the bodies... clever idea, there." Sara admitted. "What we ended up using was an artifact... something each of them held dear. That, and their affinity to us that remained even after death, was enough to call them forth... with Ladon's blessing." Ryu ignored the now-familiar jab at the Dragon God, thinking of something else.

"But Cerl... she's not dead. How could you..."

"Cerl... White is a very interesting case." Sara explained studiously. "The Time Key, through Ladon's infinite mercy, returned her to a prior state... that of only a few years of age, along with Alan. However, the setback was not complete, as you may have noticed... she remembers much better than he does. Despite being cleansed overtly, deep inside her the White Assassin still sleeps... or slept, I should say. Our ritual brought it out... seperated it from the little girl, and brought it here." She smirked. "It probably hurt a great deal... but in the long run, she'll be better off, both of her. The little girl can be free completely of her past now, and the White Assassin can rest for good." Ryu shook his head, amazed.

"Sister... what have you become? How did Jade do this to you? Please... at least tell me that much now." Sara started to retort, then stopped, narrowing her eyes and looking closely at him.

"Brother... you HAVE thought this out, haven't you? I was wondering..." Her eyes grew distant. "Jade... at first I resisted, naturally. I wanted nothing to do with him, or his Unit. Then we reached Scande, and together... the five of them... they showed me." Suddenly, all of the heroes had their minds confronted with an image; the five senior members of the Tiamat Unit, sitting around a table with the lost, beaten Priestess from Drogen. Talking, doing nothing but talking... and her, unable to stop listening, unable to look away.

"What did they tell you... show you?" Deis pressed. Sara sighed.

"They told me the truth." The image disappeared. "They all knew me on sight... Jade when he first came to Drogen, the others before being introduced. They knew me... because even ten years ago, they had seen that I would join them, be the sixth and final member of their Unit. They saw that, and much more... and as they talked, I saw it as well. It was true... all of it. There was no doubt in my mind about it... everything they told me would take place. I knew what would happen... what will happen after this."

"And what is going to happen?" Nina asked coldly. "You 'know' that you will resurrect Myria? Is that it?" Sara seemed to recover from the semi-trancelike state she had been.

"That is not for me to say. But I've changed... I'm not who I once was, little brother. Just as you aren't."

"And do you hate me now, Sara?" Ryu asked softly. Sara looked him in the eyes, and seemed to deflate.

"Ryu, I... damn it, why did you have to ask that. No... I still love you, little bro. But... we're enemies now. And neither of us can change that. I know what you're thinking... about White... but I will not take that path. I refuse... I will die for my Unit, if need be."

"Sara... you can't tell us the truth?" Ryu pleaded. "Any more of it... or of what's going to happen?" Sara nodded grimly. "Then... do you intend to keep us here? Hold us back while Jade finishes?" Sara started to speak, then froze.

"I... wait. It... come with me. All of you, now. You need to see this. But... brother." She looked into Ryu's eyes. "First, I need you to promise me something."

"Anything." Ryu whispered. Sara looked at Nina for a moment, her gaze inscrutable, then returned to Ryu.

"I need you to promise me... that you'll stop Lord Jade. That you'll do everything in your power to stop him before he succeeds, Ryu. Him, and everybody with him."

"I... can't promise that, Sara." Ryu shook. Sara's eyes became flat.

"Then I will destroy you here, all of you, myself, before you can interfere. In this holy place, as a Priestess, my powers are astronomical. Like when Black was berserking, you cannot win if you fight me here and now. Promise me, Ryu. It's the only way."

"I..." Ryu bowed his head, eyes streaming. "Damn it... I promise, Sara." She looked at him, face blank.

"You lie." She said, emotionless. "You're not ready... not yet. You disappoint me, brother. But yet... you're close. Much closer than you were at Scande. Maybe when the time actually comes... very well. This way." She led them towards the back, past a pair of stone monolith-machines. Each was pulsing, and in them, the King Key and Queen Key pulsed. To the left and right were staircases leading up, and a third one was at the back. It was up this one that Sara led them. They emerged on a blood-red brick path, surrounded on all sides but forward by a the starry void of space. Ahead of them, the Gold Lord was facing a seventh stone slab, the Time Key in his hands and the Black Warrior at his side. As they rushed forward, he turned around, smiling broadly. The monolith glowed, pulsed and sank down into the ground, disappearing. The entire structure began rumbling in time with the pulsing of what was behind the slab; a huge, crystalline heart, glowing with a mystical green light. It was built onto a icy blue pedestal with smaller pink orbs at intervals around it. Deis hissed.

"The lock...!"

"Yes, and the Keys have all been turned." Jade gloated, wiping sweat from his forehead as Sara walked forward to join him and Goda. "You're all just a bit too late. She has been released."

"No...!" Nina whispered. "We can't have failed... not yet?"

"Not yet." Deis echoed. "One chance left. If we can stop them from actually getting to her, inside Pagoda..."

"Not happening." Goda growled. "Let's settle this right here!"

"Like the lady said... not yet." Sara shook her head. "You know that, Black. Come on, milord... shall we get going?"

"We shall." Jade grinned at them, exhausted but triumphant. "We now go to meet the Goddess, Myria. Follow if you dare... and you do. Come, Ryu... come, all of you. The final act is still going strong." The three of them shimmered and vanished. Deis spun.

"Come on! Everybody get over here! I'll teleport us too!"

"You still know what Pagoda looks like, even now?" Gobi asked. The legendary Sorceress snorted mirthlessly.

"I'll remember that place if I live ten thousand more years... and aside from what they just did, Pagoda doesn't change, ever. Literally. Here we go!"

"DON'T dive-bomb into the entrance!" Bo pleaded as they zeroed in on Pagoda. The twin towers had risen to double their previous height, and the entire island was glowing with an unholy light. More noticable, however, were the dark clouds of mist that were pouring out of a small portal at the base of the taller, westmost tower. These clouds were quickly rising to obscure the sky, and were spreading with the apparent intention to do so all over the world. The implications were obvious; they were a signal. Myria had returned.

"What happens if we get rid of the bad guys now?" Ryu demanded of Deis as Nina swooped in for a landing on the island. "Won't she still be free?"

"She can't actually emerge from Pagoda until the ones who turned the Keys bring her out." Deis explained. "If that doesn't happen, once they're toast, we can go up there and turn those things back the other way." She climbed off Nina onto the island, like the rest of them, and the Princess reverted.

"Only problem is, they've got a head start on us." She growled. "So let's move already!"

"Just a second." Karn instucted, performing the Doof spell. "Right... let's knock this place over!" The heroes rushed inside, Deis guiding them.

"Step on the switch in the back right... okay, now up the stairs!" The Sorceress of Wisdon instructed. "Now we cross over to the east tower. Watch out for the purple tiles here, they're slippery and if you fall over the edge it'll be a nasty landing below. Let's just take the stairs down... right, then come back up over there and go to the third floor. That's the top one on this tower."

"You remember this place well, considering how long it's been since the last time you visited." Mogu noticed. Deis shook her head.

"Not just visited... I watched it being built, stone by stone. That leaves an impression on you. Hello, what's this?" The third floor, the top of the east tower, was a single small room. The only thing noticable was what was between them and the door back to the west tower. A shimmering force field. Nina tentatively tapped it with one finger, then hissed as she pulled it back instantly.

"Ow! Damn... like touching molten lava..."

"That's the idea, Princess of the Wing Clan." Sara informed them as she appeared, walking in the doorway behind the shield. "A simple blocking shield isn't enough... no, mine have much more bite."

"Sara..." Ryu growled, hand on his sword. The Silver Priestess nodded.

"Little brother. You made better time than we expected... which is why Lord Jade told me to wait here and delay you. There are other reasons too, of course, but those are no business of yours."

"You people keep saying that... and I keep caring less and less." Ryu bluffed. "Stand down, sister... we're coming through."

"Nice try, Ryu." Sara scoffed. "Even if you WERE able to strike me down, you'll never be able to penetrate this shield. You couldn't touch me even if you wanted to. All you can do is sit back and wait for Lord Jade and Myria to take the world." Ryu seemed to shrink for a moment... and then his eyes darkened.

"Don't be too sure about that, sister." Before anybody could stop him, the Light Dragon hero blasted forward into motion. Sword drawn, he hurled himself into the force field like a bat out of hell. All of them, even Sara stared at his insane charge. The force field crackled at his touch, flashing as he lurched forward. The pain was incredible, and yet he continued moving, his face a snarl of unbearable, intolerable rage. Step by step, each one like a mile, he neared his sister. The others tried to help him, but they were forced back by the shield. Only Ryu continued towards the Silver Priestess. A step... another step... and then he stumbled forward, through it. Sara drew back a few paces, eyes wide, and with an enraged howl he continued forward, charging like a bull at his sister with his sword waving. At the last second, Sara's expression of fear changed to cockiness, and she drew a sword of her own, lighter and slimmer like Nina's rapier. Their blades clashed, and both leaped back. Again they moved forward, swords glinting in the few traces of light not yet covered by the dark clouds pouring forth from Pagoda. Neither of them scored an actual hit; they simply stood there, weapons clanging off of each other for a few minutes. Then they jumped back and took a moment to catch their breath.

"You HAVE changed, brother!" Sara gloated. "Are you then ready to finish me off, when it comes to that? I make no pretenses at being better at this than you... Lord Jade has given me some training, but it's nothing compared to you." Nina nodded in agreement; it was plainly visible that Sara would tire long before Ryu did. Ryu glared at his sister.

"Drop it, Sara. You can't win. Just give up and let us past." Sara's smile vanished.

"You idiot! You still can't do it!" She shrieked. "Idiot brother, would you surrender to let an enemy have a clear shot at your friends? At your team? My loyalty to the Tiamat Unit is absolute!"

"Even more so than your loyalty to me?" Ryu asked softly. Sara started to respond bitterly, then stopped.

"I... Ryu..." The sword dropped, and so did she, burying her face in her hands. "Damn it, Ryu... now I know why Cerl gave in the way she did. You just can't accept things, can you... you'll never let things lie." She shot him an angry glance from eyes filled with tears. "Not even if it means being far crueler than just killing me outright would be. But you can't do that, can you?" Nina's temper flared.

"Damn it, he's trying to save you!" She yelled. "Can't you get it? You're his sister! Of course he can't just kill you! How cruel, then, the one who tries to force HIM to do that?" Sara stared at her. "You heard me! Before you start being so hard on him, think about what YOU'RE doing to your brother!"
"...Not just Ryu..." Sara whispered to herself in apparent realization of something. "All of them... steel, in every one... that's my mistake..." She rose to her feet. "All right... I'll remove the shield." Ryu stared at her.

"Sara..."

"Quiet, brother." She said, businesslike. "I need to concentrate... this won't be easy." She held up her hands and strode forward into the force field. Her face contorted in a silent scream as the barrier of light shimmered, then began disappearing into her palms as if being pulled in by an intense vacuum. When the last of it was gone, she collaped, face an ashen grey.

"Hey, hey!" Doof yelled. "You okay?"

"No... and neither are any of you." Sara smirked. "Everybody... come here. Let me... take care of this..." Somewhat dubiously, they all clustered around Sara. She concentrated, and silver sparkles of a healing spell poured out from her over them all. Nina gasped as all the pain from the force field disappeared.

"White magic... this strong?"

"Of course... I am the Silver Priestess, after all." Sara stood. "And you're getting close to that level too, Wing Clan Princess... you could probably cast this spell if you put your mind to it." She turned to Ryu. "Not much time left, brother... Lord Jade and Black will have Myria soon."

"Sara... are you... you again?" Ryu asked. She closed her eyes.

"No, brother... I'm not. I'll never be the same Sara as before... it's too late for that. I don't know if it was a spell... or simply the truth... but what Jade did, he did to all of us... and once he does, you're Tiamat Unit forever. It's not a matter of choice... you just ARE. Right now, though... I'm feeling my past. Like Blue, Red and White did before their ends... so much for our motto, I guess." She paused, then continued, eyes penetrating all of them. "Look, Ryu... I just need to tell you. While I still can... this may be my last chance to do so. Ryu... I love you, little bro. And I always will, no matter what happens. And whatever DOES happen... never think it was your fault, brother. It's not... not any of ours. None of us could do anything about this... it was all decided long ago. Remember that always, little brother."

"I will." Ryu promised, turning to go... only to discover another force field in place, in the doorway leading to the west tower. Whirling around, he saw Sara's eyes begin to glow, and he gasped in horrified realization. "NO! SARA, DON'T!"

"Ryu..." Sara whispered as she began to transform. "I know now... that you will do whatever it takes... to save the world. Forgive me, Ryu..." She threw back her head and howled as her skin became scales, white as snow but harder than steel. Her hands and feet became fierce claws, the hind ones much larger than the fore. The wings were a vibrant pink, as were the plates on her front. Her tail and neck were both longer than her torso, which was large and wide. Her head was almost ridiculously small, triangular with a bluntly pointed muzzle, but the eyes set in it below swept-back horns glowed with green fire. "STAY WITH ME, BROTHER!"

"SARAAAAA!" Ryu screamed as he transformed himself, becoming the mighty Rudra, smaller than Sara's deadly Light Dragon form but more fierce... more threatening. The two dragons walked forward and squared off, staring at each other. And then, on some unspoken signal, they took to the air. The others started to rush forward, then stopped. Deis was in their path, her staff raised to bar their way. To their astonishment, they saw that the Sorceress, normally one of the toughest of the group, had upon her face an expression of utmost compassion mixed with resolve.

"Nuh-UH. This is his fight... and his alone. If any of us interfere, we'll not only get taken down a hell of a lot more easier by her, it'll make it even harder for him."

"But we can't just watch!" Gobi protested. Deis shot him a withering glare.

"Put yourself in his place... if you had a sister, and you had no choice but to kill her... would you want anybody helping you do it? I know what you're all thinking, but this is the only way. Don't make this any harder for Ryu than it already has to be." One by one, they lowered their weapons and watched, silently, as the two Light Dragons flew above in a dance of death.

"Not like most of us could reach her up there anyways..." Mogu commented. It was true; the combatants were out of reach of the ground, and remaining so. Ryu was the smaller, faster fighter, darting around Sara to strike and retreat with his energy blasts and the mouth full of horrible fangs. Sara was slower, but the hits she did succeed in were more telling. She used both her velociraptor-like hind claws and her own breath weapon, a stream of golden light, with devastating effect; each hit she landed sent Ryu flying, sometimes into a wall. And each time, he came back gamely and struck at her flank to even the score. Before long, dragon blood was dripping like rain, and neither of them gave up. With unthinking, animal rage they continued on, striking at each other endlessly.
"Can Ryu handle this by himself?" Nina whispered. "If he had tried this on Zog, he'd be dead already..."

"Zog was a freak." Deis told her, still barring her from the fight. "I don't know if it was something in the royal bloodline or what, but that's not the case here. Ryu's had his Rudra form for far less time than his older sister's had that beast up there... and he's still coming out ahead. Sara looks like a brute, but in the long run, she won't be able to keep up."

"But none of his hits are really doing anything!" Doof yelled. "Look! No matter how many wounds he opens up, none of them are finishing it!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Deis told him. "He's aiming for her torso... where all the blubber is. She's thick down there... there's no way he's hitting an organ, and he knows it."

"You mean...?" The huge Fusion realized, horrified. Deis nodded grimly.

"That's right... he's still not trying to kill her. His form has no visible weak points... but if that neck of hers... no. He could finish this... but he's not. It won't be too long, though... all that weight on Sara will drag her down even more pretty soon, and she'll figure it out. Then..." She shook her head. "Who knows." Above, in the air, Sara was doing just as the sorceress had predicted.

"Little brother... what are you doing?" She hissed. "Stop playing around!"

"I'm not..." Ryu growled. "You can't beat me, Sara... you're going down!"

"STOP LYING TO YOURSELF!" Sara screamed in sudden fury, calling forth the terrible web of light that Zog had almost struck the heroes down with. Ryu reeled, and she pressed forward, slamming her bulk into him. "As long as you hold back, Ryu, you'l never do it! You'll never be able to stop me... any of us! You'll LOSE, Ryu! The world will lose!"

"Ladon damn it, Sara..." Ryu struggled out and blasted her tail. "Stop... stop this already!"
"Finish it, Ryu!" She struck him in the face with her tail. "Only one way, little brother! If you can't, I'll kill you... and all your friends!" Ryu froze. At that moment, although she could not hear it, Nina could not hold back any longer.

"Damn it... he'll die if we leave him! I'm sorry, Ryu!" Deis dived forward, but Nina was already in the air, transforming into the Great Bird. Sara jerked back in surprise as the mighty raptor slammed into her, knocking her away from the Rudra. Sara fell back, apparently stunned, and Nina dived.

"Nina, NO!" Ryu yelled, blasting down as well.
"Too late, brother!" Sara gloated, snapping her head forward towards the bird. "Your hesitance has cost you... she tried to do it for you, and for that, she dies!" The Light Dragon's jaws were insignificant to the Rudra, but to a bird, even one of Nina's size... there would be only one result. Too late, Nina tried to pull back, but the Light Dragon's jaws gaped in triumph... and then they froze. Sara froze, unmoving... and then her head turned around on the long, flexible neck to glance at Ryu's jaws, each and every tooth clamped, buried in the base of said neck. Sara's own jaws closed, and then twitched upward, smiling... and then she fell from the sky, her lifeless wings unable to support her. Ryu clung to her limply, unmoving as well, as she hit the ground, ripping up the floorstones as she skidded before thudding into the wall. Nina landed next to them, and the three of them shrank, each assuming their humanlike forms.

"Nina... was it?" Sara gasped, smiling. "You... did it. I knew... one of you would." Nina gasped.

"What?"

"The... only way." The Silver Priestess explained, even as the air above her began shimmering. "Ryu would... do it... if it was to save... you. Don't... blame her, Ryu... it had to... happen. Isn't... that right?" The question was directed at the person who had just appeared, who was standing over her.

"That's right." Ladon nodded, bending over and picking her up, as she had each of the Tiamat Unit. "I'm sorry."

"Don't... be." Sara shook her head. "I'm... happy. Now I know... you can do it, Ryu. And Nina... and all of you. Don't... grieve over me, Ryu. You did... the right thing." Silently, Ryu came forward and kissed her once. "Good... bye." Ladon and Sara shimmered, and then both were gone, like they had never been there. All that remained was an emerald pendant... Sara's, the one that was worn by all Priests of Ladon. Ryu picked it up and held it, head bowed.

"Ryu..." Nina whispered. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"You didn't do anything." Ryu's voice was flat. His grip on the pendant tightened. "She was right. All along, she was right. It wasn't your fault... or mine... or even hers. No..." His head snapped up, and they all took a step back. His eyes were glowing, and his face was an insane snarl. "There's only one... maybe two, I don't know yet. But one will do. JADE." Ignoring his fatigue, he turned and tore off towards the west tower. After a moment of startled hesitation, the others followed him. Heedless of anything in his path, he blasted forward, ripping through anything between him and the way onward. And then, they were standing in a starry void, and just ahead of them were two figures with their backs turned. They stood in front of a massively ornamented podium, with energy bolts crackling around them. Jade and Goda. Howling, Ryu charged for the Gold Lord. He didn't even get close. Before he was even five feet away, an invisible pressure shoved him back.

"Almost, Ryu. Almost." Jade said without turning. "You were very close. What took you so long, anyways?" Now he turned, and in his arms was a small child... a beautiful girl in a blue dress and long golden hair. She looked them over with eerie, knowing eyes and Deis hissed with recognition.

"Myria!"

"Deis." The Goddess returned coolly. "It's been a while... far too long for my tastes. And these are the ones this time around, are they? They look interesting... more so than the last batch." She looked up at the Gold Lord. "Are they interesting, Lord Jade?"

"Indeed they are." Jade agreed. "Ryu here just killed his own sister, for one... one of ours, but still..."

"What fun!" Myria clapped her hands gleefully. "A Light Dragon too, was she?"

"A strong one... loyal and intelligent. We shall not forget her." Jade nodded, then smirked at Ryu. "And it seems she gave Ryu here quite a tough time... if he had been able to kill her sooner, he would have caught us before we found you."

"Pooh!" Myria stuck her tongue out at the heroes. "Go away. I don't like you... you're too much like the people who sealed me away."

"Do you really think that's going to work on us?" Deis asked scornfully. "Why don't you show us all-and your new friends-what you really look like? I'm sure they'll all be very impressed."

"Seen it, great lady, as a matter of fact." Jade yawned. "I do have to ask, though... why aren't the rest of you talking? You're unusually quiet... has the gravity of this situation got you down?" The heroes remained silent, staring at him... all save, Ryu, who glared at Jade with unrelenting hatred even now.

"I'm going to kill you." He said it simply, then grew more agitated. "I'll kill you... I'll kill you! You're dead, Jade, dead! I'll rip you to shreds, you hear me! I'LL KILL YOU!" Jade stared for a moment, and then he, Goda and Myria all threw their heads back and laughed.

"Oh, Ryu! Such hatred for me... I didn't expect it to be that strong! Now you know how Goda feels about you!" Goda fell silent at that, but Jade continued. "While I admire the sentiment, Ryu, you're not exactly in a position to start lobbing around threats. The Goddess Myria has been released... and she is mine." Streams of brightly colored light surrounded the Gold Lord and combined into a nimbus of power as he floated into the air, the other two along with him. Everything was suffused with a golden hue. "I am all-powerful... I am invincible... I am immortal. In short..." His eyes narrowed. "I... WIN." Myria laughed.

"Hee hee hee! Can I kill them now, Gold Lord?"

"Give it your best shot." Jade offered. Myria smiled, and the golden hue solidified, becoming a stream of energy that blasted forward. The last thing they saw was an unimaginably bright light. The last thing they felt was intense, searing pain.

And the last thing they heard was the triumphant laughter of the Gold Lord.